Bicycle Mechanics - quill stem movement

me and a friend are frantically building up a koga miyata city liner frame for a cross country trip we are going on next week. we thought we finally got all the bumps ironed out and we where about to go for a ride then we noticed that no matter how tight we cranked down the bolt in the quill stem it keeps moving back and forth. I wiped the excess grease out of the head tube, tried a couple of other quill stems, same thing, I pulled out the fork and inspected it but I didn't seen anything unusual. we have another fork but its not as nice so we'd like to use the stock fork. we have less then a week to finish this build. We would appreciate any help we can get, thankyou

Is it the original stem and fork?

If so, you can sometimes find some "deflection" if you hold the wheel and turn the bars. This should NOT be slippage of the stem inside the fork tube, however, but you might see some degree of flex.

it is the original fork, but not the original stem. There is a whole lot of slippage while holding the bars. I pysically cannot crank the bolt down any tighter with out breaking something, tool, bolt , hand. I've never built up the frame, I got it second hand, it was originally bought from american cyclery in sf not that long ago. According to the owner it has had a couple of short tours and light commuting but it is in great shape.

I'm considering scoreing the inside of the head tube, but I can't really imagine it working.

It sounds like the stem is the wrong size and too small for the steerer. Does the fork have a 1-1/8" steerer and the stem is for a 1" steerer? Is the stem from an old Schwinn and undersized for a normal 1" steerer?

Conclusion, if the stem doesn't fit the steerer or the bars, you need a different one.

it is the original fork, but not the original stem. There is a whole lot of slippage while holding the bars. I pysically cannot crank the bolt down any tighter with out breaking something, tool, bolt , hand. I've never built up the frame, I got it second hand, it was originally bought from american cyclery in sf not that long ago. According to the owner it has had a couple of short tours and light commuting but it is in great shape.

I'm considering scoreing the inside of the head tube, but I can't really imagine it working.

Take the stem out and check along the bottom portion of the quill for the numbers .833". This would indicate the stem is meant for a steerer tube with .833" (21.15mm) inside diameter instead of the much more common 22.2mm for 1" forks. Lots of old Schwinns used .833" stems/steerers, as well as some Ross' and Nishiki's. If this turns out to be the case, you need a "standard" 22.2mm quill stem-

It might also be that the steerer tube on the fork is loose in the crown, and what you're feeling isn't the stem moving, but rather the fork joint.

I'm 99% sure its a 1". there isn't even remotely close to 1/8th" gap and its threaded so I would be very surprised if it was a 1 1/8th quill. The stem is a ITM from the late 90's, I tried a cinelli, a nitto and a ritchey, just to see and none of them worked. This is the frame and fork
http://www.bikemannetwork.com/biking/p/CELLFRMCF/CF-MYACTYLNR

Does the headset locknut fit closely around the stem?

the fork crown is not spinning on the fork crown

the locknut spins freely nothing strange.

is their some dutch stem thing that I don't know about, another reason they stopped selling in the US?

very near to trying soda can shim, though I'm sure pretty much everyone is going to have a problem with that for good reason

Check out another stem. You could use a red bull can to make a thin shim for the stem in the steerer tube hand hope the nut pulls enough tension. I did this as an emergency fix and it worked will but, the best option is to get a stem that fits.

Since none of the stems you tried worked you really need to get a set of calipers and measure the ID of your steer tube. You might find a factory issue that could get you a replacement fork.